Configured management-as-a-service connect process based on tenant requirements

• US 8,626,891 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guru, Chitra, Jain, Dinesh Tejmel, Jhoney, Albee, Mani, Anbazhagan, Panwar, Mandeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/938,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 370/468, 707/769
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An approach is provided that configures a management-as-a-service (MaaS) connect process at a MaaS provider. The MaaS connect process is configured based on a request received from a MaaS tenant. The configured MaaS connect process is transmitted to the MaaS tenant. MaaS services are provided from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant. These MaaS services interact with the configured MaaS connect process installed at the MaaS tenant.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computer system comprising:

configuring a management-as-a-service (MaaS) connect process by a computer processor running at a MaaS provider, wherein the MaaS connect process is configured based on a request from a MaaS tenant;

transmitting, via a network interface, the configured MaaS connect process to the MaaS tenant;

providing one or more MaaS services from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant, wherein the provided MaaS services interact with the configured MaaS connect process installed at the MaaS tenant, and wherein the MaaS provider provides one or more MaaS service offerings;

retrieving a capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more MaaS service offerings;

matching a received list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements with the one or more MaaS service offerings available from the MaaS provider;

retrieving the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings;

receiving a capacity assessment of the tenant IT environment from the configured MaaS connect process;

comparing the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings to the received capacity assessment; and

notifying the MaaS tenant in response to the comparison revealing that the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings exceeds the received capacity assessment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to the providing of the one or more MaaS services;

receiving the list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements from the configured MaaS connect process running at the MaaS tenant.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

including the one or more matched MaaS services offerings in an offer to the MaaS tenant; and

receiving a selection from the MaaS tenant corresponding to one or more of the matched MaaS service offerings, wherein the selection is the one or more MaaS services provided by the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

generating a MaaS service contract that includes the offer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification to the MaaS tenant includes an advisory based on the comparison wherein the advisory includes one or more IT improvement items targeted to improve the tenant IT environment.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

remotely deploying one or more processes from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant using the configured MaaS connect process.

7. The method of 6 claim wherein the one or more processes include at least one set of remote management agent processes deployed at the MaaS tenant.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving, from the configured MaaS connect process, a plurality of monitoring data gathered by the remote management agent processes running on a plurality of computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant; and

managing the computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant based upon the received plurality of monitoring data.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory that is accessible by at least one of the processors;

a network adapter that connects the information handling system to a computer network;

a nonvolatile data storage medium accessible by at least one of the processors; and

a set of instructions executed by one or more of the processors to perform actions of;

establishing a network connection between a management-as-a-service (MaaS) provider executing on the information handling system and a remote MaaS tenant computer system over the computer network via the network adapter;

configuring a management-as-a-service (MaaS) connect process at the MaaS provider, wherein the MaaS connect process is configured based on a request received from the MaaS tenant;

transmitting the configured MaaS connect process to the MaaS tenant via the established network connection;

providing one or more MaaS services from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant, wherein the provided MaaS services interact with the configured MaaS connect process installed at the MaaS tenant via the established network connection, wherein the MaaS provider provides one or more MaaS service offerings; and

retrieving a capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more MaaS service offerings;

matching a received list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements with the one or more MaaS service offerings available from the MaaS provider;

retrieving the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings;

receiving a capacity assessment of the tenant IT environment from the configured MaaS connect process;

comparing the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings to the received capacity assessment;

notifying the MaaS tenant in response to the comparison revealing that the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings exceeds the received capacity assessment.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the actions further comprise:

prior to the providing of the one or more MaaS services;

receiving the list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements from the configured MaaS connect process running at the MaaS tenant.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein the actions further comprise:

including the one or more matched MaaS services offerings in an offer to the MaaS tenant; and

receiving a selection from the MaaS tenant corresponding to one or more of the matched MaaS service offerings, wherein the selection is the one or more MaaS services provided by the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the actions further comprise:

generating a MaaS service contract that includes the offer.

13. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the notification to the MaaS tenant includes an advisory based on the comparison wherein the advisory includes one or more IT improvement items targeted to improve the tenant IT environment.

14. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the actions further comprise:

remotely deploying one or more processes from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant using the configured MaaS connect process.

15. The information handling system of 14 claim wherein the one or more processes include at least one set of remote management agent processes deployed at the MaaS tenant.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

receiving, from the configured MaaS connect process, a plurality of monitoring data gathered by the remote management agent processes running on a plurality of computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant; and

managing the computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant based upon the received plurality of monitoring data.

17. A computer program product stored in a computer-readable storage memory, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

configuring a management-as-a-service (MaaS) connect process at a MaaS provider, wherein the MaaS connect process is configured based on a request from a MaaS tenant;

transmitting the configured MaaS connect process to the MaaS tenant;

providing one or more MaaS services from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant, wherein the provided MaaS services interact with the configured MaaS connect process installed at the MaaS tenant, and wherein the MaaS provider provides one or more MaaS service offerings;

retrieving a capacity requirement corresponding to the MaaS service offerings;

matching a received list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements with the one or more MaaS service offerings available from the MaaS provider;

retrieving the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings;

receiving a capacity assessment of the tenant IT environment from the configured MaaS connect process;

comparing the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings to the received capacity assessment; and

notifying the MaaS tenant in response to the comparison revealing that the capacity requirement corresponding to the one or more matched MaaS service offerings exceeds the received capacity assessment.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the functional descriptive material, when executed, causes the information handling system to perform additional actions comprising:

prior to the providing of the one or more MaaS services;

receiving the list of one or more discovered tenant information technology (IT) elements from the configured MaaS connect process running at the MaaS tenant.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the functional descriptive material, when executed, causes the information handling system to perform additional actions comprising:

including the one or more matched MaaS services offerings in an offer to the MaaS tenant; and

receiving a selection from the MaaS tenant corresponding to one or more of the matched MaaS service offerings, wherein the selection is the one or more MaaS services provided by the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the functional descriptive material, when executed, causes the information handling system to perform additional actions comprising:

generating a MaaS service contract that includes the offer.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the notification to the MaaS tenant includes an advisory based on the comparison wherein the advisory includes one or more IT improvement items targeted to improve the tenant IT environment.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the functional descriptive material, when executed, causes the information handling system to perform additional actions comprising:

remotely deploying one or more processes from the MaaS provider to the MaaS tenant using the configured MaaS connect process.

23. The computer program product of 22 claim wherein the one or more processes include at least one set of remote management agent processes deployed at the MaaS tenant.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein the functional descriptive material, when executed, causes the information handling system to perform additional actions comprising:

receiving, from the configured MaaS connect process, a plurality of monitoring data gathered by the remote management agent processes running on a plurality of computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant; and

managing the computer systems operated by the MaaS tenant based upon the received plurality of monitoring data.